Body shape in eating disorders.

To study the differences in body image dissatisfaction among women with eating disorders (ED) and a control group. Method: 145 women with (ED) -according to criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV edition, (American Psychiatric Association, 1994)- (36 with restrictive anorexia nervosa (ANR), 30 with bulimic anorexia nervosa (ANB) and 79 with bulimia nervosa (BN), and a control group (n= 65) with similar sociodemographic characteristics were evaluated with the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), the body dissatisfaction scale of the Eating Disorder Inventor (EDI) and the Eating Attitude Test (EAT). Results: Controlling body mass index, women with ED present a higher body image dissatisfaction than controls, but we do not find significant differences between ED groups, except in some items of the BSQ and EDI subscale. Discussion: our results confirm previous studies by standing out the body image dissatisfaction in the ED and the need to intervene therapeutically at that level.